The question rises again (It was previously dealt with on http://alembic.com/club/messages/393/17820.html?1113927709) as I was watching Toto's Past to Present DVD -nice way to spend Friday's night at home-, when it came the videoclip of Africa, there is this image of David Hungate playing what seems (at least for a glimpse) to be some kind of Alembic bass (At least the oval inlays suggest it strongly) which I (nor other club members on the aforementioned thread) could not identify. Then I decided to put the DVD on the laptop and make some screen captures, and got a couple interesting ones. On the second one, where the body can be seen a little better, I found the bridge is not what I would normally associate with Alembic. Maybe (as someone suggested before) is it a Turner bass? Anyone has more input on this? Just curious...

(Message edited by jcdlc72 on May 03, 2013) [moderator's edit for picture alignment]

First, I think that's a young Mike Porcaro who took over for Hungate in '82.

I don't recognize the instrument but Turner is a good guess because of how the pickups look. Keep in mind that sometimes an "interesting" looking bass would be used for the video shoot only. (It doesn't appear to be plugged in...)

It is indeed David Hungate playing bass on the original recording released in '82 / '83. But by the time they shot this video Mike was in the band so he had to mime along to Hungate's track... And again, no microphones, amps, or instrument cables, so this mystery bass was strictly a prop. I can't find any "live" vids of Steve Mike playing this bass so it's hard to say if he owned it or just borrowed it from West LA Music or Valley Arts Guitars... I've got one more source to ask and will let you know if I learn anything.

Actually, I was getting a laugh seeing Lukather in the background of the shot with a 'redneck' Strat: Maybe a VA-built version, but I always remember those Tokai Strats from the early 80's where they took a normal alder or ash-bodied Strat with a maple/maple neck, and shot the whole thing, fingerboard and all, in a see-thru red tint. What a hoot! I also remember they made a three-pickup Jazz, with the three JBass pickups splayed in the same layout as a Strat. Never got my hands on one of those, either . . .

That's what I was thinking about . . . wonder if it was cheaper with an UN-Synchronized wiggle stick ?

Floyds were big fun back in the day; played with a guitar player who just frammed the hell out of his strings, and he'd invariably break one (after chasing tuning all night long first, it was a really early iteration Floyd that did NOT have the fine tuners), and just flip out having to try and unscrew the locking clamp at the nut. It's a wonder he didn't have a stroke.

That's what I was thinking about . . . wonder if it was cheaper with an UN-Synchronized wiggle stick ?

Floyds were big fun back in the day; played with a guitar player who just frammed the hell out of his strings, and he'd invariably break one (after chasing tuning all night long first, it was a really early iteration Floyd that did NOT have the fine tuners), and just flip out having to try and unscrew the locking clamp at the nut. It's a wonder he didn't have a stroke. After a while, his veins-bulging-in his-neck fits got old, but we did have quite a laugh after we hid the little Allen wrenches needed to perform the pit stop . . . . .